That was a nice way of putting that I wasn’t on time very often. “Is this because I’m going out with Sebastian?” I asked, questioning their motives. The job sounded like a dream come true. Regular hours. Health insurance.
Be still, my beating heart. We don’t have the job quite yet.
Sebastian tugged on my hand, and I turned to him.
“I understand if you don’t want to take the job because it’s not the work you want to do. But don’t refuse it because you think it’s a pity offer. Blade doesn’t employ people out of the goodness of his heart,” he said. “And if you want to study while working, you can.”
Well, he was right about Blade not giving handouts. It was the only reason why I didn’t flat-out refuse to take the job. But I also didn’t want to take advantage of my relationship with Sebastian. I never wanted him to think I was using him.
I turned my attention back to Blade. “So you’re definitely not offering me the job because of Sebastian?”
“You’re a smart girl. You already know the answer to that question. Ace heard I was looking for someone to help out and suggested you. Now stop letting your misguided pride lead you down the wrong path. I know you can do the job, andyouknow you can do the job. And you can take the kids to the office. Nobody will mind having them there,” he said.
I knew he had a point, but I had to make sure this wouldn’t change my relationship with Sebastian. Working for the club meant I would be around a lot.
I turned to him and asked, “Do you want me to take the job?”
“Whenever we stand outside Pepper’s, the look on your face breaks my heart,” he said, looking pained just thinking about it. “If I can stop you from doing something that sends you close to a nervous breakdown every time you have to do it, I will. So yes, I want you to take the job.”
I bit my lip, thinking this was a fantastic offer. And this man just kept getting better and better.
“Okay, I’ll take it,” I said. The offer was good. Better than good, it was great and would mean my life changing for the better.
“Great. You start in two weeks,” Blade said, handing me a stack of papers. “That’s the contract. Read it, then sign it and get it back to me. We can negotiate the salary.”
Wow, guess I’m really doing this.
“Okay, thanks, Blade,” I said, clutching the papers against my chest.
“Now get out. I have work to do. If you have any questions, ask Sebastian.”
We all filed out, and Grim patted my back. “Good to have you on board. You’ll love it here. Blade’s a great boss.”
I found that hard to believe but didn’t say anything. They all seemed to think highly of him and maybe with time I would come to like him too.Maybe.
We didn’t stay; instead, Sebastian got us back on the road and pulled up in front of Pepper’s a few minutes later.
I froze in front of the door. Despite feeling more settled than I had in a year, I still had to go inside, and I still had to do my job. That hadn’t changed. I had two more weeks left before I could get out of there for good.
Sebastian stepped in front of me and cupped my cheek, tilting my chin up. “Hey, I’m here with you. I’ll be on the main floor the whole night. You’re safe. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I nodded and dropped my forehead onto his chest, breathing him in. “I know. I’m sorry for still freaking out. I’ve survived this long. Two more weeks shouldn’t matter.”
He kissed my hair and held me tight. “Don’t ever apologize for the way you feel.”
After I counted to a hundred and ten, I was ready to go inside. Sebastian took my hand again, something that had become a beautiful habit I loved.
He walked me straight to Smitty’s office and knocked on the closed door, not waiting for an answer. Smitty’s head shot up and his eyes went wide when he saw us standing in the door.
“Ace, what are you doing here?” Smitty asked, his voice high. And by the looks of the white powder on his desk, that wasn’t the only thing that was high.
“Get out. You’re fired,” Sebastian said, his hands balled into fists.
“It’s… it’s not what it looks like,” Smitty stuttered, wiping the powder off his desk.
Sebastian stepped closer. “You know the rules. We don’t do warnings. Either you listen or you’re out. And you’re a stupid fuck who didn’t listen. Now you’re out.”
Smitty jumped up, his chair rolling backward. “That’s fucking bullshit. This place is nothing without me.”
